Ivan Radford | On 29, Oct 2020

When it comes to the horror classics this Halloween, there’s one place to go: Sky Cinema. You won’t find a silent 1920s flick here, nor many foreign gems, but from The Exorcist to The Birds, there are scares aplenty.

Don’t have Sky? A NOW TV Sky Cinema Pass costs £11.99 a month and gives you access to all of the Sky Cinema catalogue, both live and on-demand – and, as such, you can expect the usual suspects, from critically-acclaimed genre stalwarts to a splattering of modern gems.

The Exorcist

William Friedkin’s tale of possession is, quite simply, one of the most mortally terrifying movies ever made.

The Witches

A brilliantly grotesque children’s horror film from the late, great Nicolas Roeg.

Sleepy Hollow

Tim Burton is in his element with this gothic horror based on Washington Irving’s classic tale “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, featuring Christopher Walken as the fabled Headless Horseman.

Us

Jordan Peele’s ambitious follow-up to Get Out is a creepy invasion thriller with a killer turn from Lupita Nyong’o.

In Fabric

Peter Strickland’s weird, brilliantly entertaining horror is a frightening, funny number with a uniquely disturbing style.

The Lighthouse

Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson are brilliantly unnerving in this clammy, claustrophobic horror.

Coraline

Not quite The Nightmare Before Christmas, but Coraline is a pleasingly unpleasant bedtime story.

Labyrinth

“I ask for so little. Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave.” If you’ve never seen David Bowie as Jareth the Goblin King in this iconic 1986 fantasy, this is your chance.

Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Can your favourite stop-motion duo work as a feature-length film? By heck, they can: Aardman’s 85-minute adventure is full of visual slapstick, verbal wit and endless puns, not to mention Ralph Fiennes in his first truly comedic role – and, of course, a giant monster rabbit. It’s when you stop noticing the action set pieces are made out of clay that you realise just how superb it is.

Ready or Not

New blushing bride Grace (Samara Weaving) joins her new husband’s rich, eccentric family for a get together at their estate, as they embark upon a time-honoured tradition: a game of hide and seek. However, there’s a deadly twist – Grace is the one hiding, and she needs to survive the night while the rest of the family hunt her down. There’s a theme of class warfare running through this extremely black and bloody satire.

Psycho

Shockingly effective in 1960, the brilliance of Hitchcock’s horror remains undimmed to this day.

Zombieland

A buddy movie with zombies, Zombieland is laugh-out-loud stuff.

Come to Daddy

Genre producer extraordinaire Ant Timpson proves he can also direct in this extreme and darkly funny tale of fathers and sons.

Shaun of the Dead

“You’ve got red on you.”

The Birds

Hitchcock’s classic horror remains one of his best.

Swallow

Haley Bennett is chillingly good in this unsettling psychological thriller that’s hard to stomach.

Daniel Isn’t Real

Troubled Luke suffers a violent family trauma and resurrects his childhood imaginary friend to help him cope. Charismatic and full of energy, `Daniel’ helps Luke to achieve his dreams, before pushing him into a desperate fight for his own soul.

The Addams Family

This family flick sees the cartoon characters of old given a live-action make-over from director Barry Sonnenfeld. From Thing (here a desembodied hand) and Christopher Lloyd as Uncle Fester to Christina Ricci’s Wednesday Addams, this perfectly cast outing is creepy, kooky and altogether wonderful.

Cloverfield

What is Clover? In short, it’s a giant monster. Where is it from? No idea. What’s its motivation? Not a clue. All we know for sure is it’s big, mean, and it can decapitate the Statue of Liberty from 50 paces. Matt Reeves’ thoroughly modern monster movie captures the immediate terror of destruction from ground level. Come for the thrills and fascinating creature design. Stay for the subtle, smart framing, which prevents us seeing too much of what’s going on.

Event Horizon

This trashy sci-fi about a ship that goes beyond the boundary of space and human sanity combines Sam Neill’s unnerving stare and some strange visuals to truly freaky effect.

Friday the 13th

Crystal Lake’s history of murder doesn’t deter counsellors from setting up a summer camp in the woodsy area. So when a group of youngsters, led by Kevin Bacon, rock up to stay, it’s only a matter of time until a brutal killer begins to stalk them. Parts 1 to 8 are also available.

The Omen

Richard Donner’s veritable classic finds an American politician suspecting that he and his wife have adopted the antichrist. A string of horrible deaths and accidents ensue, from an innovative use of a glass pane to a grisly interruption to a family party – and, most memorable of all, a in-spired cameo from Doctor Who himself, Patrick Troughton, as a priest who sees what’s going to happen. (The Omen II and III are also available.)

Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Gary Oldman is enjoying himself enormously in Francis Ford Coppola’s take on Bram Stoker’s timeless horror tale.

Ghostbusters

When a trio of scientists (Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray) lose their cushy positions at a university in New York, they come up with an unusual solution for their new career: become “ghostbusters” and wage a high-tech battle with the paranormal for money. A laugh-out-loud classic, with spooky effects and an impressively big finish. Ghostbusters is also available.

Hocus Pocus

“Boooook!”

Coraline

Not quite The Nightmare Before Christmas, but Coraline is a pleasingly unpleasant bedtime story.

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